Liquid polysiloxane lubricants



; UNITED STATES E T E;

Patented Ma 31,3949

mourn mi U H w Trams? g Fuwilcoch, sugus,"Masc., assignor to i l 1 General Electric Company, a cumulation of l 1 harm Noni-swim. Applicatlonseptember25,1946, 1

SerialNm699 ,35 6 f The present invention relates to liquid organo-substituted polysiloxanes'eznployed as lu-- bricating media which have low frictional prop, erties; and methods of preparingthe same, More,

particularly, the invention is j concerned j with a lubricating oil having a low boundary friction coeflicientwhich oil is freeof water and comprises m a liquid aliphatic-substituted polysiloxane containing an average of from about 4 1.9 to 2.5 aliphatic groups per silicon atomand (2) a smallamount ofan additiveselectedi'rom the class of higher saturatedaliphatic fatty acids containing from 8 to 14 carbonatoms inclusive, preferably from 10 to 14 carbon atoms. a The physical properties of liquid organosubstituted polysiloxanes containing an average of fromwabout 1L9 to 2.5 aliphatic groups per silicon in atom make thema i very ideal fluid for lubrication under hydrodynamic or fluid film conditions. Many of these liquid aliphatic substituted polysiloxanes have low viscosity temperature coeflicients, lowpour points,and good resistance toqoxidation up to temperatures high as 175 C. However, such materialswhen employed for lubricating purposes, under certain lubricating conditions where a fluid film has notbeen formed or haslbeensbroken down, may not afford the\ protection against seizure that hascome to be expected i'rom petroleum-mace oils of like viscosity. Thisdisparity in boundary lubrication properties isparticularly pronounced where both rubbing surfaces are steel and may not be quiteas pronounceduwhereone of the rubbing surfaces is a non-ferrous material suchas The liquid aliphatic-substituted poiysuoxaues: with which this invention is concernedare compositions comprising essentially silicon: atoms connected to one another 3 by oxygen atoms as i1- lustrated by the following structure called a siloxanestructure wherein a preponderant number of the valences of the silicon atoms-are satisfiedbythe substitution thereon of organic radicals, e. g aliphatic radicals. These compositions or y matter may] be prepared, for example, bythelhydrolysiaoiwhy ,drolyzable aliphatic-substituted silanes, e. 3.,

scum. (cusp-4am dialiphatic-substituted dihalogenosilanes, for instance, dimethyl dichlorosilane, followed by complete or partial condensation of thyhydrolysis product. They may also be prepared by hydrolyzing mixtures of hydrolyzable dialiphatic-substituted silanes either among themselves or with hydrolyzable silanes containing, for example, three aliphatic radicals substituted on the silicon atom, for instance, trimethy1chlor0silane. More 10 specific directions for the hydrolysisof hydrolyzable aliphatic-substituted silanes to form liquid aliphatic-substituted polysiloxanes may be found,

e. g., inPatnode applications, Serial Nos. 463,813

(abandoned),463,814(Patent No. 2,469,888) and 1 463,815 (abandoned), filed October 29,1942, and

inWilcock application, Serial No. 656,162 (pending), filed March 21, 1946, the foregoing applications being assigned to the same assignee as the presentinvention, By the term hydrolyzable aliphatic-substitutedsilanes is intended to meanderivatives of SiHl, which contain hydrolyz able groups or radicals, e. g., halogens, amino groups, alkoxy, arylortyfland acyloiry radicals, etc., inaddition to the aliphatic groups substituted directly on the silicon atom that-are joined to the silicon through carbon-silicon linkages. Examples of such aliphatic radicals (includingalkyl radicals) are, e. gl; methyl,ethyl, propyl, butyl, etc; alicyclic radicals, e.*g., cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, etc.; 3.1

kenyl radicalsyegg vinyl, allyl, methallyLetc, It desired,the above-mentioned radicals may also contain substituents substituted thereon, for instance, halogens.

5 Hydrolysis of the above silanes or mixtures oi the silanes results in the formationof silanols, i. e., aliphatic-substituted silanes containing 11y droxy groups substituted directl onthe silicon,

which hydroxygroups almost immediately con dense intermolecularly (intercondense) splitting outwater to givethe siloxane linkages mentioned previously. Such intercondensations are accel erated by acidic materials, e. g., sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, ferric chloride, etc., as well as bybasic materials, e. 8., sodium hydroxide,

ammoniumhydroxide, etc. Asa result of the hydrolysis and condensation, alipb atic-substituted polysiloxanes may be producedwhich are partially or completely condensed and whichmay have on the average up to as high as three or- Eanic radicals substituted per silicon atom. Theliquid aliphatic-substituted polyslloxanes prepared in this manner consist essentially of silicon atoms joined together by oxygen atoms through silicon-oxygen linkages and aliphatic radicals attached to silicon through carbon-silicon linkages, the remaining valences, if any. of the silicon atoms being satisfied by hydroxyl radicals and/or by residual unhydrolyzed radicals such as the hydrolyzable radicals listed previously. 7

I have now found that the frictional properties of liquid aliphatic-substituted polysiloxanes containing from about 1.9 to 2.5 aliphatic groups per silicon atom may be greatly improved by incorporating in the said liquid polysiloxane a small amount of an additive selected from the class of saturated aliphatic fatty acids containing from 8 to 14 carbon atoms, for example, octanoic acid (caprylic acid), lauric acid, myristic acid, capric acid, etc.

This was quite surprising and unexpected since many of the additives incorporated in petroleum-base lubricants for the pure pose of decreasing the boundary friction coeflicien't were either insoluble in the liquid aliphatic-substituted polysiloxanes or ineffective for lowering their boundary friction coeflicients.

The amount of additive required to effectively lower .the boundary friction coemcient of the liquid polysiloxanes is quite small. weight, I may employ from about .05 to 4 or per cent of the additive based on the weight of the liquid polysiloxane anddepending, in some cases, on the particular combination of additive and polysiioxane employed. Preferably, I employ from about 0.1 to 2 per cent of the additive. Amounts substantially in excess of 2 or 3 per cent offer no particular advantage. The modified liquid polysiloxanes obtained by the practice of myv invention exhibit good lubricating properties as evidenced by the ability of the liquid polysiloxane to maintain a continuous lubricating .Thus, by

age of at leasttworuns each:

the mixtures was determined by means of the aforementioned four ball deceleration top. For comparison purposes. a petroleum oil (a white ,sulfuric-acid-reflned mineral oil of refrigerator grade) was repuriiied by contacting it with concentrated sulfuric acid and tested in the four' ball deceleration top to determin the boundary friction coemcient of this material. Following are the results of these teetswhich are the aver- 1 Viscosity was 85 to 95 Saybolt seconds at 100 F.

It will, of course, be understood by those skilled in the art that saturated aliphatic fatty acids containing from 8 to 14 carbon atoms other than thoseemployed inthe above illustrations of the practice of my invention may also be used as, for

example, pelargonic acid, undecylic acid, tridecoic acid, etc., as well as the branched chain saturated aliphatic fatty acids as, for example, 2-ethyl hexanoic acid, etc.

The use of additives in accordance with my invention is especially adaptable for improving film on the rubbing metallic surfaces during loadbearing periods of operation. In order that those skilled in the art may better understand how the present invention may be practiced, the following examples are given by way. of illustration and not by way of limitation. All parts-and per cents are by weight. The boundary friction coeflicient was determined by means of a four ball deceleration top using two steel surfaces sliding under boundary lubrication conditions. The instrument and procedure employed for determining the boundary friction coefficient was essentially the'same as that described by Beech et al. in theProceedings of the Royal Society of London, A177, 90 (1940). In the following examples the top employed in the four ball deceleration top weighed 5800 grams and the moment of inertia was calculated to be 747,000 gram cmF.

Example 1 A liquid methylpolysiloxane containing an average of slightly above two methyl groups per silicon atom WaS PIGDMBG by hydrolyzing substantially pure dimethyldichlorosilane and thereafter effecting rearrangement of the siloxane units with hexamethyl disiloxane in the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid in accordance with the procedure disclosed in the aforementioned Patnode application Serial No. 463,814. Thevise cosityof the oily liquid was about 42 centistokes at 100 F.

To the above prepared liquid methyl polysiloxane were added varying amounts of additives, and the boundary friction coeflicientof each of the lubricating properties of other liquid aliphatic-substituted polysiloxanes, for instance, liquid, alkyl-substituted polysiloxanes, for example, liquid ethy-, propyl-, butyl-, isopropylsubstituted polysiloxanes, etc. The additives employed in the practice of my invention are particularly suitable for decreasing the boundary friction coefficient of liquid methyl polysiloxanes containing an average of from about 1.9 1 to 2.5

methyl groups per silicon atom, especially where the average ratio of methyl groups to silicon atoms'is from about 2.0 to 2.2 methyl groups per silicon. I

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A lubricant having a low boundary friction coefficient which consists essentially of (1) a water-free liquid aliphatic-substituted polysiloxane containing an average of from about 1.9 to 2.5 aliphatic groups per silicon atom, the said aliphatic groups being selected from the class consisting of lower alkyl, lower alkenyl, and cyclic 'alkyl radicals, and (2) from about 0.05 to 5 per cent, by weight, based on' the weight of (1), of an additive selected from the class of saturated aliphatic fatty acids containing from'8 to carbon atoms.

2; A lubricant having a low boundary friction coefficient which consists essentially of (1) a lirf uid water-free methyl polysiloxane containing an average of from about 1.9 to 2.5 methyl groups per silicon atom and, (2) from about 0.05 to 5 per cent, by weight, based on the weight of 1) No:rr:.-Liquid ali ihatic substituted polysiloxanes containing an average 0 about 1.9 to less than 2.0 aliphatic groups per silicon atom me be p i'epared, for example, by

ydrolyzing a .mixture 0 clip ane-substituted chlorosilanes containing an average 0 about 1.9 to less than 2.0 aliphatic groups per silicon atom. I

l of an additive selected from the class of saturated aliphatic fatty acids containing from 8 to 14 carbon atoms.

3. A lubricant having a low boundary friction' 15 Number 6 5. A lubricant having a low boundary friction coeflicient which consists essentially of (1) a liquid water-free methyl polysiloxane containing an average of from about 1.9 to 2.5 methyl groups per silicon atom and-(2) from about 0.05 to 5 per cent, by weight, based on the weight of. (1) of capric acid.

DONALD F. WJL'COCK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITEDSTATES PATENTS Name Date 2,406,671 Diamond Aug. 27, 1946 2,416,503 Trautman Feb. 25, 1947 

